Smart Irrigation Becoming More Attractive Option for Spuds

A sustained dry period, changes in water licences
and shortage of labour are making smart irrigation systems more attractive
to potato farmers, according to Andrew Howseman of Howseman Agriculture.

Mr Howseman will be speaking at the next Agri-Tech East Pollinator
event, which is looking at smart irrigation, on 13th September 2018.

Howseman Irrigation System

“Even farmers that have never needed irrigation before are considering
it after this June,” says Andrew. “We've got people who've been irrigating
for at least 50-60 days non-stop, which is completely unheard of.

“The season was slow to get started with all of the potato crops
and root crops planted late in wet and cold conditions – which weren't
conducive to good growing –and then the temperatures that we've seen
and the prolonged dry hot weather will have had an impact. In my opinion,
yield will be affected by both ends of the spectrum.

“Usually, people would irrigate for a couple of weeks and then we
would have three quarters of an inch of rain and they'd have a week
or ten days off before they started irrigating again. It's normally
a bit of an up and down rollercoaster really.

“But this year people started and haven't stopped, to the extent
that reservoirs are running out of water and growers have had to prioritise
specific crops, such as potatoes over onions and carrots. That's been
the juggling act and it continues to be so.

“A season like this is stretching labour, machinery and resources
such as water to breaking point, really.”

This is where the drip system developed by Howseman Agriculture comes
into its own. It puts the water where it is need and uses 25-30% less
water than a traditional hose and reel system and is much less labour
intensive. Its six row drip-tape layer recently gained an ‘Innovation
for Water’ award at the Lincolnshire
Show.

Andrew continues:
“Although this is an unusual year, even those who usually
have lots of water have been worried and these dry spells could become more
frequent and licensing stricter. With our system and a reservoir farmers have
some insurance.”

Drip systems are perceived as expensive, but there is so much money
riding on a crop of potatoes that the benefit of controlled water
is becoming easier to justify. To help support the business case,
Howseman Agriculture has started to offer a six-hectare package of
drip tape irrigation together with installation and training so that
growers can trial it without a big capital investment.

Andrew says:
“We're really pleased to work with Agri-Tech East to
help people evaluate new technology. We've got an open door for people
to come and have a look around, open days, and if people want to see
what we're doing on some of the farms where we operate we are more
than happy to extend an invitation for them to come and have a look.”

It seems likely that drier periods will become more frequent in future,
which is creating more interest in smart irrigation. This is why Agri-Tech
East is featuring this subject in its next Pollinator on 13 September
2018.